


Adventures in Coparenting

by PeterPanic (K9Lasko)



Category: Psych
Genre: Bisexual Shawn Spencer, Coparenting, Definitely Not a Casefic, Exes getting along, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Lovers to Friends, M/M, Post-Divorce
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25254235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K9Lasko/pseuds/PeterPanic
Summary: Coparenting with your ex-wife is inherently weird, but falling (deeper) in love with your best friend in the world is even weirder (in a warm and fuzzy way.)Strong themes of Shawn & Juliet friendship (and frustration!) and Shawn/Gus idiots-in-love. And other characters, too. :)
Relationships: Burton "Gus" Guster/Shawn Spencer, Juliet O'Hara & Shawn Spencer, Juliet O'Hara/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Because Shawn/Gus is the most wholesome thing ever.
> 
> Timeline is very A/U and a few years down the road, obviously, and ragingly inaccurate. No move to San Francisco, Henry never sold the house to Lassiter.

The Fourth of July was coming up, and it was Juliet’s week with Eleanor. She and Shawn had agreed — over text message (always get it in writing, said the lawyers) — that since Shawn’s dad was having his usual holiday get-together, she would bring Nel for part of the afternoon. Texts led to even more texts and Shawn ended up also inviting Juliet and her new… boyfriend. As usual there were lots of emoticons, and Shawn promised her it wouldn’t get weird.

 _We’re good, Jules, don’t worry,_ he had texted. _And everybody will love having you there._

But now the day was actually here, and it left Shawn thinking that maybe he wasn’t as ready as he thought he was. He showed up earlier than expected at his dad’s place and threw himself into the party preparations, which shocked Henry to the core until he learnt the real reason for Shawn’s nerves. “Amateur,” he muttered as he stacked the charcoal in the battered grill and prepped the meat.

Gus showed up soon after. It was a perfect day and the salt air and sunshine felt good after a week cooped up at the Psych office re-arranging some of the old shelving units, so both Shawn and Gus set up a tomato, mozzarella, basil salad prep station at the picnic table in the backyard.

“So…” Gus began to ask while halfway through his first hotdog of the day, “You actually invited Juliet and…?”

“Of course I did!” said Shawn with a great deal of enthusiasm as he sliced a tomato with an extremely sharp knife.

Gus had a hard time telling if it was genuine or strained excitement. He eyed the knife while nervously repositioning himself on the wooden bench. Shawn was getting better and better at appearing insanely okay with everything that had happened over the past year and half. The ink was barely dry on the divorce decree — delayed mostly due to Shawn’s stubbornness — and Juliet had already revealed she was in a new relationship. From all the glimpses Gus himself had of the newly minted couple, it was serious.

A plume of smoke rose from the charcoal grill while Henry checked the meat. Gus watched him for a moment before looking back at Shawn. He was done mauling the tomato and was now just staring at it, as if he’d forgotten what the next stage of making a tomato, mozzarella, basil salad was.

“Look, Gus,” Shawn finally said with a contemplative furrow in his brow. “You know that we’re not like that, Jules and me. We decided at the whole start of this thing that we’d never be psycho-exes to one another. For Nel. Because I’ve been there, done that. We’re going to do our own thing, have our own personal lives with people who truly suit us, and then meet in the middle with the co-babysitting and all that.”

“It’s co-parenting, Shawn,” corrected Gus. He shoved the rest of the hotdog in his mouth, getting mustard all over his face.

“Tomato, to-mah-to.” Shawn moved on to slicing the ball of fresh mozzarella. “And you don’t have to stress eat on my behalf, buddy. Oooh! I almost forgot the secret ingredient.” He held up an entire bundle of basil leaves.

“It’s hardly a secret ingredient. It’s literally in the name!”

Oblivious, Shawn began to construct the tomato, mozzarella, basil salad with an odd sort of focus. He said, distracted, “And don’t worry; I’ve got everything handled.”

“I’m not sure you do,” Gus remarked.

“I am a-okay,” Shawn went on.

“I’m not sure you are,” Gus countered. “You know, that Felix dude looks like the real deal. A career type, a solid bread-winner. He drives a Mercedes.” Gus gave Shawn a look that clearly in Gus-speak meant, ‘sorry about your luck, man.’

Shawn looked briefly at the sky. “Gus! I don’t need to win any bread in order to bring home the real goods. Besides, I’m cutting down on the carbs. And! No man named Felix is going to bother me. That’s ridiculous.”

Gus opened his mouth again, but Shawn interrupted. “Calm yourself. Find something else to complain about. If you insist, go fight my dad for another hotdog or something.”

Soon Buzz arrived with his wife, Francie. Then Woody and Officer Dobson. Then Karen Vick and her family. A bunch of Henry’s friends showed up. Strangely, so did Shawn’s landlady and her kid.

“Lassie!” Shawn exclaimed at the appearance of a certain familiar someone. Carlton Lassiter carried a jug of something and Marlowe followed closely, holding Lily’s hand until the little girl tugged away to go meet up with the Vick kids and — Shawn didn’t even know his landlady had a kid, but there you go.

“You brought margaritas! You’re my favorite person right now.” After a brief struggle, Shawn tugged the jug away from Lassiter’s grasp, set it on the picnic table and began pouring himself one immediately. He then took a long gulp of it.

“Everything okay?” Lassiter asked.

“Fantastic!” Shawn exclaimed. “Have you seen Juliet around, by chance?” he asked.

Lassiter looked around at the small crowd and then at Marlowe, who shrugged and slipped by the both to make sure Lily was okay. She paused briefly to squeeze Shawn’s shoulder. “Nice to see you, Shawn.”

“Sure,” he said.

“Spencer,” said Lassiter. “Did you invite you ex-wife to your dad’s Fourth of July barbecue?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Shawn asked, defending himself. “She’s bringing Nel for a few hours. No biggie. Oh, she might also bring, you know, with her.”

“You know?”

“Yeah, you know.” Shawn gave him a meaningful look.

Lassiter rolled his eyes. He pointed firmly at the jug of margaritas but pinned Shawn down with his eyes. “Control yourself. Believe me, drunken episodes in front of the ex never end well.” He then looked at where Gus was ‘assisting’ Henry with the grilling — but mostly he was busy eating a second hotdog. “Stay with Gus and you should be fine.”

“Of course I’ll be fine,” Shawn laughed. It was a bit too breathy and manic to be completely believable.

In a rare show of solidarity, Lassiter reached out and, mimicking Marlowe’s earlier move, he squeezed Shawn’s shoulder. That squeeze soon turned into a vice-like grip. Shawn cringed. Leaning close, Lassiter warned, “I don’t pick sides, Spencer. Just letting you know.”

Shawn let out another laugh, this one no less demented sounding. “Yeah, thanks, Lassie. I remember that threat from the last few times we got together.” He watched as Lassiter stalked off towards the group.

“Daddy!” cried a blur of red, white, and blue. Shawn spun and snatched Eleanor up with surprisingly quick reflexes.

“Hey, hey, Nellie-Ellie-jelly-belly! I missed you.” Shawn hugged the four-year old tight, grinning at her perfect face and her perfect hazel eyes and her perfect blond hair done up in little pig tails and patriotic bows. She wore a blue t-shirt with a cartoon dinosaur wearing sunglasses.

“It’s only been three sleeps,” she pointed out to him.

“Yeah, well, that feels like a lifetime to me.” Shawn surprised himself with his own honesty. He did miss seeing his kid everyday. That was still tough getting used to.

“Are we going to light things on fire and blow stuff up?” Eleanor asked him with excitement.

Of course that was when Juliet walked within ear shot. She frowned and rolled her eyes.

“Jules! Hi! I don’t know where on Earth she heard that!” said Shawn.

“I have no idea, Shawn,” remarked Juliet.

He took off his own sunglasses and perched them on his kid’s face. “Now you match the dino on your shirt.” They were too big but Eleanor seemed delighted as she held them to her face and stared around owlishly.

Despite herself, found herself smiling at the both of them.

“Thanks for bringing her,” Shawn said, honestly. He noticed someone lurking not too far away.

So this must be Felix. He’d seen him once or twice, probably even more times, before, in passing. But now it was like he was seeing him completely anew. Felix was the thin and fit and sporty sort. Probably spent part of the weekend at a gym and mornings running around his upscale neighborhood. Tall. Dark hair, painfully perfect. Well dressed in pressed khakis and a red button down. Expensive sunglasses. Expensive watch. He was on his cell phone (also expensive) and looking off towards the ocean. Shawn glanced at the driveway and saw it, the Mercedes, sleek and grey. Expensive. Next to this guy, Shawn — dressed in his frayed jeans and comfy t-shirt and equally comfy sneakers, and a knock-off watch because he kept losing them — was basically a hobo.

That was fine. Shawn knew real beauty came from inside, or something like that. Besides, he was happy for Juliet, and honestly, she looked absolutely luminous.

Juliet was saying, “Of course, she loves Grandpa Spencer’s cookouts. And looks like all the kids are here, too.”

Shawn bounced Eleanor in his arms like he used to do when she was really little. At nearly five years old, she was getting a bit too heavy to hold for too long. But Eleanor laughed as he did it, so Shawn decided to grin and bear it.

Juliet simply watched them for a bit before she said, “You know what, I think Felix and I are just going to—“

“Don’t be silly,” said Shawn. “Stay. Have something to eat. I’m sure my dad has plenty of new fishing stories to share.”

And then suddenly Adonis was approaching, his important call concluded. He touched Juliet’s back and said, with a suspiciously perfect smile, “I’m sorry about that. We have a merger in the works with some crazy deadlines.” He looked at Shawn holding Eleanor and bouncing her around. “Hi, you must be Shawn. I can’t believe we’ve never officially met before. I’m Felix.” He leaned forward and offered his hand.

Ever friendly, even if he shouldn’t be sometimes, Shawn reached out and took it, a bit awkwardly due to his kid taking up most of his arm span. Felix’s handshake was strong and firm. He seemed to be absolutely confident in his status in Juliet’s life.

“Yes!” Juliet cut in. “This is Shawn. Shawn this is my—” Quickly she corrected, “—this is Felix.”

“Wonderful!” Shawn let Eleanor slide to the grass.

“Can we go ride porpoises now?” she asked, staring up at her dad, imploring. “Or dig for treasure? Please?”

“Maybe a little later, bug,” he said. “The adults have to do their talky-talky-thing, but then afterwards, I’m all yours.”

She frowned. “But I’m bored,” she whined, drawing out ‘bored’ for emphasis. His dad remarked once how much she sounded _just_ like Shawn when he was that age. Oh boy, the memories.

“And what did I tell you to do when you’re bored?” asked Shawn. “Hm?”

“Go make my own fun,” Eleanor answered.

“Exactly. Now go forth. Make fun. Go say hello to Uncle Gus first — maybe he’ll give you a hotdog, I think he’s on his third one. If you ask nicely, he might share.”

Off she went at a wild gallop, but Henry saw her first and he gave her a whooping “oh ho!” before picking her up and probably slipping a disc in the process.

“Kids,” said Shawn. “I have no idea how she comes up with that stuff. No idea… I mean, I’m pretty sure riding a porpoise is illegal in all fifty states.”

“It really is a mystery,” Juliet remarked. Despite her tone, her face had softened considerably. Shawn was a great many annoying and exasperating things, but he was a good dad. That was, in fact, why this was working out so well. They both had Eleanor first in their minds and they never let their past failures or troubles taint that.

“Well come on. Let’s sit and have a chat, shall we?” suggested Shawn. He gestured at the picnic table.

“Thank you,” Felix said, surprisingly quick. He seemed… eager.

Shawn poured the both of them one of Lassie’s margaritas and refilled his own glass. “This here is Detective Lassafras’ world famous truth serum.”

Felix laughed, while Juliet, sitting close beside him, rolled her eyes. “I thought his name was Lassiter?” Felix asked her.

“You’re right,” assured Juliet. “Carlton Lassiter.”

“I only give nicknames to people I like.” Shawn took a sip.

“Well luckily I’m safe then—“

Shawn raised a brow.

“—I mean, not that you don’t… or won’t eventually… like me. But just because, I’m not sure what worse can be done with the name Felix. But then again, you probably won’t like me, because, well…”

“Don’t tempt, Felix. I am a font of creativity. Just ask Gus.” For such a good-looking and seemingly successful man, he acted very self-conscious, Shawn thought to himself.

“Ask me what?” asked Gus as he suddenly slid onto the bench beside Shawn. He put down a paper plate with two more hotdogs on it.

“Gus!” Shawn exclaimed, delighted to see him. “Who’s looking after Nel?”

“She went with the Chief and Marlowe and the kids.”

Shawn nodded, then he saw the plate, “Four and five? Really?”

“Don’t judge me, Shawn. I’m in a very fragile state.”

“What happened with Lady Liberty? She was supposed to be your July Fourth fireworks spectacular!”

“She stood me up.” Gus’ speech was muffled through a massive bite of hotdog number four. It was truly the dish of despair, at least for the night.

“No!” Shawn looked crestfallen on his best friend’s behalf.

“Shawn.” Someone said and he felt a hand on his arm.

He turned back to look at Juliet and Felix as if he’d forgotten they were still there. “Oh hey! So get this, her name was actually Liberty. Liberty Lavergne. And guess what! She was a masseuse.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Gus elbowed Shawn in the ribs and wiped his mouth primly with a napkin. “What my idiot friend meant to say was ‘this is my best friend and partner in crime-solving, Burton Guster,’ so I’ll do it for him.” He smiled genially at both Juliet and Felix, but mostly at Felix. He put at a hand towards Felix. “Hi, I’m Burton Guster, Shawn’s best friend and partner in crime-solving.”

Felix shook the offered hand immediately. “And I’m Felix.”

Gus nodded. “And Juliet’s boyfriend, if I heard correctly.”

“Uh, well. Yes,” Felix answered awkwardly. He refused to look at Shawn as he said it. “So, how long have you and Shawn known each other?”

“Since about the same age Nel is now. Why?”

“I’m just… impressed. Kinda rare, that kind of friendship,” Felix said.

“It ain’t easy,” said Gus, “but I think it’s been somewhat worth it.”

“Hey,” Shawn protested.

“Shut up, dude. You know you’re a pain in the ass.”

Shawn sighed. “It’s true.”

“I’m curious,” Felix said now, turning his attention on Shawn. “What is it you actually do at your agency… thing.”

“It’s called Psych, and I’m a psychic detective,” Shawn answered easily. One truth, one lie. “I traverse the spiritual planes — there are many —“

Juliet barely restrained her sigh. Felix didn’t notice, too engrossed in Shawn’s bullshit.

“—and solve crimes so the police don’t have to. It’s a breeze. For me at least. Others have tried and failed—“

“Who?” Gus asked.

“Decent money. Endlessly satisfying. Gus, here, mostly specializes in smelling things.”

“What?” exclaimed Gus, making a face.

“True,” said Shawn. “He’s like a Labrador but with less hair.”

“Wow. Sounds like fascinating work.” Felix honestly did seem fascinated. He’d leant forward and rested his elbows on the tabletop. “A lot more interesting than corporate mergers.”

“I’m afraid we’ve seen it all. So what is it you do, Felix?” asked Shawn.

“I’m an attorney. Like I said, we mostly oversee mergers of international business entities. Lots of moving parts.”

Shawn nodded as if he understood what any of that might entail.

Juliet noticed and broke in, “But he’s thinking of making a career shift. NGO’s are hiring attorneys with expertise in international law, and he wants to make a more direct impact on people’s lives.”

“Okay,” said Shawn. “Sounds dope.”

This was another thing about Shawn that frustrated Juliet. He was so smart yet so… ignorant, simultaneously.

“Did you go to school?” Felix asked Shawn.

“College? Ha. No. Thank god. Gus here did, that’s why he’s making the big bucks in the pharmaceutical biz, but me? To be honest, I barely graduated high school.” Shawn’s answer was so candid that even Gus was taken aback for a moment. Maybe there was a little bit of a nerve getting rubbed there.

“Shawn took a gap year before that was even a thing and just…” Gus began to explain.

“It turned into a gap decade. But hey! I firmly believe you can learn just as much, if not more, bartending in a college town than actually going to school in one. Go figure.”

Felix nodded very slowly as he let that tidbit sink in.

“Food’s on!” Henry yelled from across the yard.

With a sudden slap of the table that had everybody flinching, Shawn hopped to his feet. “Good chat. Now let’s eat before my dad gnaws off someone’s limb.

“I think I’ll sit this one out,” admitted Gus, looking a little ill.

“Good idea, buddy. And nice to meet you, Felix.” Shawn then moved off to greet the rest of the group clustered around the grill, but Juliet stopped him before he could get too far.

Her hand gripped his elbow as she said, “Hey, Shawn. Wait. There’s something I need to tell you.” Felix looked on curiously, but she waved him ahead. “Don’t wait up for me. This’ll only be a second. It’s about Nel.”

Shawn searched her face. She seemed worried about something. He didn’t think it was about Nel at all. “What’s up, Jules?” he asked, sunny as ever.

“Stop,” she said. “You don’t have to act like that. I know this is… weird.”

“Not weird at all. I promised you it wouldn’t be weird, so I’m trying especially hard to keep it not weird.”

“It’s not you, Shawn. I think it’s… inevitable. I know, everything with Felix, it’s quick, and there hasn’t been a lot of time to transition, for me or for you, but—“

“You were ready,” Shawn finished for her. “You were always ready, for something real, serious, steady, stable. I get it, Jules. We’ve been there, done that. I get it. I don’t need…” He took a deep breath. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at the ocean and the sun that was beginning to dip lower and lower towards the horizon. “I don’t really want to rehash all the ways I didn’t work out for you. Okay?”

“No, that’s not what this is about.” She barrelled on before she lost the nerve. “We’re engaged. Felix and I.”

He stared at her. “Oh,” he said finally. “That’s quick.”

Juliet frowned.

“No! I meant, congratulations!” Shawn let out a little laugh, breathy and — Juliet was shocked to realize that she had caught Shawn completely by surprise. It was an odd look on the man.

“I needed you to know before you heard secondhand,” she reasoned. “I don’t want to hurt you, Shawn. That’s not what any of this is about.”

“Of course not. I’ve never once thought you were out to hurt me.”

“Good.” She watched him; the lines of his face were so familiar, the stubble on his jaw, the grey that was just starting to show through around his temples. She couldn’t know for sure what he was thinking, but she liked to think she had an idea. “Are you okay?”

Shawn smiled, not wide and fake, but a smile more rare and warm and kind. Familiar. “I’m fine. I was just caught off-guard. That’s all. Felix seems like a good person. And we all need good people in our lives. C’mon, let’s go.” He gave her a playful knock on her shoulder with his fist. “After dinner, I’ll teach our kid how to blow some stuff up. Cool with that?”

Juliet laughed and followed after him.

***

Later that night, and just as Shawn had predicted, Juliet asked him if he wanted to let Eleanor stay the night. Of course he said yes.

After the fireworks were over, Gus stayed to help clean up. They sat and talked on the porch steps for a bit while Eleanor came down off her sugar high.

“You were right about Felix,” said Shawn. “He is the real deal.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t mean she should go and marry him right away,” said Gus. “Seems pretty rash.”

Shawn shook her head. “No. I know Juliet. And she looked very sure.”

Eleanor ended up curled in Shawn’s arms. She nodded off while her dad and Gus discussed nonsensically which episode of the Mentalist was the best and which was the worst. Eventually it was time for bed and for Gus to head home, even though Shawn sort of felt sad about that. They hugged goodbye, awkwardly because there was a sleeping child stuck between them. It lingered a bit too long, and Gus salvaged the situation by giving Shawn a manly slap on the back.

Henry had long ago converted Shawn’s old bedroom into an occasional room for Eleanor. When Shawn situated her in the bed, of course she woke up. Even dead tired, she insisted on a story. Shawn sat beside the bed and showed her “When You Give a Moose a Muffin.”

“I like this one,” she said sleepily.

So did Shawn.

When you gave a moose a muffin, he asked for more and more and more. Shawn could relate tothat moose. He really could.

“Well, if you’re sure…” teased Shawn.

“I’m really, really sure,” said Eleanor.


	2. Chapter 2

Felix and Juliet’s grey Mercedes pulled up in the gravel drive behind an older model green Subaru Outback with a dented rear bumper. This very well may have been one of the last affordable apartments in downtown Santa Barbara, and how Shawn managed it, Juliet will never fully comprehend. The back of the building itself was grey and dull, three stories, set amongst a few tall palms. The property was flanked on one side by a chain-link fenced lot with at least twenty cars rotting in the California sun and on the other side by a funky wine boutique. The neighborhood was full of old warehouses and small artisan stores and restaurants and drinking places and street art. (Graffiti, Carlton always called it with a grimace and a renewed oath to arrest any miscreant possessing a canister of spray paint and suspicious-looking facial hair.)  
  
Juliet liked the neighborhood just fine. Trendy millennials pedaled their community bicycles alongside older folk with their pushcarts. It was hip and it was young and it was fun for an afternoon or a night out, but she was never totally on board with Shawn settling here long-term. For one, it didn’t seem conducive to young families… Then again, it wasn’t her choice anymore, or her problem.  
  
“So this is Shawn’s place,” Felix commented. He put the car in park and considered whether or not he ought to engage the locks.  
  
Juliet was already opening the passenger side door. “Yes. I figure it’s about time to introduce you to the… routine. Before we get married.”  
  
“The routine?” Felix asked, unsure.  
  
“Yes. The routine of picking up Nel from her dad’s place.”  
  
“There’s a routine? Can’t he just send her out the door and away we go?”  
  
“That would be ideal. But with Shawn, I’d prefer to check that he hasn’t glued himself to the carpet or something like that,” said Juliet. “Plus I want to drop off these groceries. It’ll only take a second, come on.”  
  
“You want me to come in, too?”  
  
“Of course. I already told him we were on our way.” Juliet was cheerful and bright this morning, despite the fact that they’d stayed up so late. She grabbed the grocery bags from the back seat.  
  
“You never answered why you buy him groceries,” said Felix. “Does he have a grocery store phobia? Does he not make enough to pay for food?”  
  
“It’s just a couple things. I was there anyway.” Juliet bustled ahead. “Don’t let the dogs out.”  
  
The dogs barked at the gate. They were two huge grey mastiff-somethings, all lumbering paws and wagging tails and whuff-whuffings. Juliet patted them both, but as Felix pushed through the gate, they rushed him.  
  
Felix considered whether or not he could physically leap on top of one of the rolling trash bins. “Juliet? The hell hounds want to eat me!”  
  
But then Shawn was there, calling the dogs off and getting them to sit in front of him. They stared up at his face with wide smiles and lolling tongues and plenty of drool. Shawn scratched behind their ears and grinned at Juliet and then at Felix. He was dressed in his usual jeans and a bright plaid button up, face mostly unshaven but hair damp and coifed for the day. “Hi! Jules. Felix. Good morning.” He went to grab the bags from Juliet’s arms, and then he looked only at Felix. “I’m sorry about the dogs. Despite how they look, they’ve never tasted human flesh.”

“Shawn,” Juliet warned him.

Felix eyed them uncertainly. “Sure. Do they have names?”

“Of course. The smaller one is Machete and the bigger one is Lance. They’re the landlady’s dogs actually, but they’re great for security.”

They both looked the same size to Felix, but he figured it didn’t matter much since he wanted nothing to do with either Machete or Lance from this point on.

“Not a dog person?” Shawn asked. He cradled the groceries in his arms and looked at Felix as if he really wanted an answer.

“Uh,” Felix fumbled. “I like dogs just fine, but we’ve just always had… less scary looking ones.”

“Got it.” Shawn turned away from him. “Jules, you look vibrant today. Thank you for the groceries.”

“Thanks, Shawn, it’s no problem.”

They followed him up the narrow steps to the front door. “Watch your step.”

“So what have you and Nel been up to this morning?” Juliet asked.

“The usual.” Shawn pushed the door open with his hip. Machete and Lance looked up at them from the courtyard. Felix kept giving them wary glances. The fact that Lance was actively licking his — or her? — chops was especially concerning to him.

Shawn set the groceries on the cluttered kitchen counter and started going through them, sorting out the frozen from the refrigerated from the shelf stable goods. He almost knocked over a stack of unopened mail but shoved it to the side just in time. “Oooh, Strawberry PopTarts. Jules. You shouldn’t’ve.”

“Those are for Nels,” said Juliet.

Eleanor, meanwhile, was busy painting her arm in front of the TV. She looked up at the sound of the door opening and jumped to her feet at the sight of her mom.

“Mama!” Nel cried as she bolted from the living room and through the kitchen, paintbrush abandoned on the rug.

Shawn reached out and grabbed her before she could launch into Juliet’s arms and coat her with paint. “Take it easy, kiddo. You’re all covered in paint and you’re gonna get it on mama’s nice clothes. Remember what we talked about that one time?”

That “one time” was when Shawn brought her to the police station because the babysitter bailed and Henry was off on his boat torturing fish again. (“I’m sorry kid, I woulda taken her with me,” Shawn remembered Henry saying afterwards. It was amazing how becoming a grandfather had mellowed the old guy.) And well, Buzz turned out to be a lousy substitute childminder because Lassiter ended up with yellow paint all over his suit pants from where Eleanor had inexplicably decided to hug him. Shawn had apologized up and down and all around on his kid’s behalf, and it was that — not the paint — that seemed to truly stun Lassiter. “Not a problem; I know how it is,” he’d mumbled before he shouted for the benefit of anybody doubting his authority, “but this isn’t a daycare, Spencer!” Boy, how they all had grown! And that was only last week.

Nel stomped her feet and grumbled. Juliet smiled to herself. “What’re you working on, love bug?” she asked as she brushed her hand over the girl’s lopsided pigtails. Shawn tried but never really succeeded at little girl hair styles.

“My arm painting.” The child held out her arm proudly. It looked just like paint smeared all over — very modern art. “Dad and Gus and me went to a place and they had arm paint!”

Juliet really wanted to know about this. She stared at the back of Shawn’s head, but he seemed determined not to make eye contact. When she finally gave up, she met Felix’s eye. He seemed extremely ready to go. He also seemed to visibly cringe from the chaos of the kitchen, and the rest of the apartment didn’t look much more promising. Not to mention that it smelled sort of like burnt pancakes. That probably explained the faint haze of smoke floating around. The open windows could only do so much.

And that was when Gus walked out of the bedroom, looking freshly showered and ready for work. It was the only bedroom in the apartment that wasn’t Eleanor’s designated bedroom.

“Oh hey, Juliet,” he said with his usual smoothness. “Felix,” he added when he saw the other man.

“Gus! What a surprise. It’s good seeing you,” said Juliet with a genuine smile, although there was also confusion.

“My hot water heater is broken,” he explained as he straightened his tie. “I’ve been waiting a whole week for them to fix it.”

Shawn spun around and gave Gus a vibrant grin. “Hey buddy. Is the water pressure still to your standards?”

Gus rolled his eyes.

“Gus hates cold showers,” Shawn explained to Juliet and Felix. “And shower dribble.”

“Never say that again, Shawn.”

Shawn continued to say, “Luckily, that shower is like a fire hose—“

Gus interrupted. “Shawn burnt breakfast again, so you’ll probably want to feed Nel a second breakfast,” he suggested as he ducked around Shawn to grab a banana.

“Thanks for the heads up,” said Juliet with a laugh.

“Hey now,” Shawn defended himself. “It wasn’t that burnt.” But then he said to Gus, “Leaving for work already?”

“Already? I’m late! See you later. Don’t call me. I need to get caught up on my route.” Gus paused to ruffle Eleanor’s messy hair. She giggled and skipped away back to her spot in front of the TV. “Behave for mama and Felix,” he called after her. Then he glared at Shawn. “And those damn dogs better not drool all over my nice pants!”

Shawn watched Gus disappear out the door and slam the door. He sighed. “No love for the dogs that aren’t even mine.” Then he turned around and continued putting the groceries away.

Felix gave Juliet a look with a raised brow, and Juliet simply shrugged.

“I’m a terrible host,” Shawn suddenly said, breaking the silence he likely had not even realized had become awkward. “Felix. Would you like some coffee?” He was already fixing Juliet’s cup, just the way he knew she liked it — with plenty of Italian sweet cream.

“No, that’s okay. I’m good.”

But Shawn had already started making him a cup anyway. “You strike me as a man who appreciates milk that isn’t milk.” He pulled out a carton of almond milk from the fridge, shutting it with his foot. The front of the fridge door was as cluttered as the rest of the home — photographs; old Christmas cards; some multicolor magnet letters, in no order except for one long word: incorrigible, which had to have been Gus’ doing; some take-out coupons; a small dry erase board with reminders: “Appt on Wed 1:30! Take your meds! Need syrup!” in Shawn’s messy handwriting; and plenty of Eleanor’s “masterpieces.”

“Gus is lactose intolerant, so we’ve embraced the nut milk,” said Shawn. “I’ll apologize in advance for our lack of soy milk, which I’ve gathered is your preferred non-milk of choice.”

Juliet coughed.

Shawn slid the mug of coffee Felix’s way.

“You’re right,” Felix said, caught off guard. “I don’t like milk and do prefer soy milk. How did you know?”

Shawn put two fingers to his temple. “I’m psychic.” He smiled pleasantly. “Don’t get freaked out. You’ll get used to it.” He looked to Jules. “I’m sensing Lassie-face has covered for you today?”

“Well, we’re doing a new weekend rotation thing. It’s kind of confusing, but you know you’ll get Eleanor when I’m on a weekend, or there’s Henry.”

“There’s always Henry.” Shawn pushed away from the counter. He tilted his head a bit and said, “There’s also Gus. You’re okay with Gus, right?”

Juliet frowned at him. That was a strange question. “Of course I’m okay with Gus.”

“Lemme take you on a grand tour of the place,” Shawn then said to Felix, changing the subject abruptly.

Felix glanced at his watch. “We kinda have to—“ he started.

“Oh!” Juliet interrupted. “Have you made progress on the bathroom?”

“Lots. Check it out.” Shawn led them into his bedroom, all of them with coffee mugs in hand. It was cluttered. A king sized bed. A big dresser with a TV perched on top. Clothes strewn all over.

Felix felt endlessly awkward infringing on this space, but Shawn seemed excited to show them the master bath.

“I’m doing this for the landlady. She gave me a discount on the rent.”

“Wow,” Juliet said. She stared at the space. “The shower is huge.”

“It is really nice,” Felix mused.

“Right? Big improvement? And there’s still the jacuzzi tub in the corner, but improved as well. Gus nixed the walk-in sauna idea, unfortunately,” he joked. Or maybe he was serious. It was hard to tell.

“This is beautiful, Shawn. How much did this cost?”

Shawn shrugged. “Me and a handyman have this payment-in-kind thing going on. You see, he had a ghost problem, and I know I promised not to take anymore ghost cases, but, well, the ghosts ended up being his long-time girlfriend’s side-gigs, if you know what I mean, multiple extracurriculars, and—“

“Shawn,” Juliet verbally nudged him. It was best to shut down the rambling while they were still somewhat ahead.

“It was a wild situation.” Shawn nodded soberly. “But anyway, I actually plan to stay here for a long while. It’s a great space, great neighborhood, close to Psych.”

“It’s a little… bohemian,” Felix interjected.

Shawn stared at him. “Like the song?”

“Huh? No. Bohemian,” Felix repeated. “You know.” He waved a hand around. “Like you. Kind of just—“

Shawn kept staring at him. “Like me?”

Felix gave a little helpless shrug. He looked at Juliet for help, but she was off inspecting the tile in the shower. “I mean the neighborhood; it’s… unconventional.”

“Oh. Are you from here?”

“No, Bakersfield.”

“Gotcha. My condolences. Well, I grew up here in Santa Barbara. This is a nice neighborhood. There’s lots of stuff within walking distance. I take Nel all the time to the cafe down the way, and there’s plenty of restaurants and a big park. We can walk to the beach, and to Psych. My dad’s place is like a five minute drive.”

“Don’t you want to buy?”

“Me? Buy? In Santa Barbara?” Shawn laughed. “I could never buy here. I’m going to be honest, and Jules already knows, I’m financially insolvent.”

Juliet attempted to interrupt. “Shawn.”

It didn’t work. “I have no savings,” Shawn went on. “I have no retirement plan. My income is erratic. I am probably $10k plus in debt to the IRS. My credit score is like 600 on an extremely good day. Gus had to co-sign my car loan, and he only did that because I begged him to after my own father refused.” A normal person might have been embarrassed by all of this, but Shawn knew no shame. Besides, Felix had a face that simply screamed I’m Successful and Well Off and I Know It — his trendy clothing, accessories, his car, and the giant rock on Juliet’s finger screamed it as well. Shawn had never been to their house yet, but he was sure that screamed the same thing. There was no point trying to one-up that, no one could, so he might as well be brutally honest. And if there was anything Shawn loved more than most anything else, it was shocking people into silence. “I don’t know why I told you all of that. Sometimes I just… say things.”

There _was_ silence, until Felix made one valiant suggestion: “I know a great agent. He could probably—“

“Let’s go upstairs.” Shawn ignored him. “This is the best part.”

Shawn led the way out of the bedroom and to a tight spiral staircase that went straight up to a third level. Seeing that Eleanor was still loitering around the TV, Shawn called down to her. “Nel-Nel, have you got your bag packed?”

“No,” she answered, voice edging towards a whine.

“Better go pack, kiddo.”

She harrumphed and melted onto the floor. “Fiiiine.”

“No arguing, and don’t forget Missus Hedgehog.”

“Okay…” Another harrumph, but at least there was movement towards her bedroom.

At the top of the stairs, there was a small carpeted loft space, a big overstuffed couch, a bookshelf, a foosball table, another decent sized television. How they got the furniture up here was anybody’s guess. Shawn nudged the door at the back of the space and it opened up to a large rooftop deck. The air was fresh and the breeze rustled through the tall palms that they were level with at this height. They could see the ocean from here, a flat vast expanse of blue.

“I thought we agreed you’d pack her bag,” said Juliet, “since that one time when you dropped her off with just Missus Hedgehog and a bag full of socks.”

“Yeah, well, I think it’s good for her to learn some independence. You know what Henry would say to me: ‘pack your bag, Shawn. You have two minutes, and if it takes you longer, too bad.’ I was four, at most.”

Felix raised his brows. He took in the view and sipped his coffee. It was… pleasant. Not Shawn’s story but the view and the coffee. No wonder the guy was kind of a mess.

“You and I both know your dad isn’t a font of good parenting advice. No matter how much I adore him.”

Shawn sighed. “You’re right, Jules. I’ll make sure to double check it.” He settled on a dilapidated and weather-beaten Adirondack chair. The mirrored sunglasses he’d slid on his face made it hard to tell what he was thinking. “That’s about it,” he declared. “Not much to it. The grand tour. Oh, there’s Eleanor’s room. Gus and I painted it green. What did you decide to paint Eleanor’s room, Jules? I forgot to ask.”

“Turquoise,” she answered. When she and Felix had finally moved in together, that was the first thing they’d done together — convert the guest room into Eleanor’s room.

“That’s nice,” Shawn murmured. “She loves turquoise.”

Juliet knew Shawn also loved turquoise.

If they listened closely, they could hear the pounding surf over the hum of nearby traffic. Felix might have imagined it, but the mood seemed to get a little depressed.

“Thanks for the coffee,” Felix offered lamely, unsure what to do with the silence.

“No worries. Guess I should probably go check on Eleanor,” Shawn mused, unusually calm. “Make sure she’s not setting her bedroom on fire.”

“Has that happened before?” Felix asked.

“You know what, Shawn? Don’t worry about it,” Juliet broke in before he could answer. “I’ll check her bag and make sure she’s got everything ready to go. Then we’ll get out of your hair.”

Shawn didn’t answer. He just sat there and looked off into the distance.

Felix took the hint and headed back downstairs. “Love the place, Shawn,” he said in parting.

Juliet, however, hesitated. She waited until the door closed before turning to face her ex-husband. He was still her best friend, bizarrely enough, and they knew each other well — too well. “Are you okay?” she asked him bluntly. She knew he hated being put on the spot, and she used that to her advantage.

“Yes,” Shawn lied. Then he said, “No.” Then he said, more truthfully, “I don’t know.” The truth was always difficult for Shawn.

Despite that, she had nothing but sympathy for him. “I know things are weird—“

“Stop it,” he snapped.

Juliet blinked. He never talked to her like that. Their fights weren’t so much fights as they were incredibly convoluted and roundabout debates on things they clearly disagreed about. Nobody ever raised their voice and it usually ended in an angry re-watching of a movie or television show they both mutually disliked while angrily divvying the popcorn into two separate bowls instead of one big shared bowl.

Shawn apologized. “Sorry, Jules. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just… it’s not about you or anything. We’re good.” He looked like he wanted to confide in her about something, but he stopped himself.

She sat on the chair next to him. “You know you can talk to me.”

“I know.” Then he laughed and rubbed a hand over his face. “You’d never believe it.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yes? No? Maybe?” said Shawn.

Juliet smiled and leant over and kissed him on the cheek.

It was Shawn’s turn to blink. “Jules…”

“Now YOU can stop it,” she told him. “I love you, and I want you to know that.”

“We are so strange,” Shawn admitted for the both of them. “We’re incompatibly compatible. Compatibly incompatible.”

“That we are.” Juliet stood. Then she asked him, “You’ll be okay here on your own today?”

“I promise not to glue myself to the floor again.”

“Good. I’m going to make sure our kid didn’t pack only socks for the week.”

***

The car ride back home was quiet. Eleanor had a pair of pink headphones on as she listened to an audio story and looked at the colorful illustrations in a library book Shawn had shoved into her arms before they escaped the apartment.

“That’s due this week! I don’t have anymore dimes to pay the late fees!” he’d shouted after them.

They managed to avoid the dogs, mostly, except Felix had gotten some drool smeared all over his pant leg. As he drove, he furiously attempted to forget that had ever happened.

“I was thinking,” said Juliet. “We should do something fun this weekend. What about Thousand Step Beach? Close to home. We could take a picnic. Maybe invite Shawn and Gus if they’re free—“

Felix sighed.

“Something wrong?” She studied the side of his face.

He checked the rearview mirror. Eleanor was humming along to something, headphones still covering her ears.

“Every time I see you and Shawn, together, I get more and more confused.”

“Confused?”

“Well, yeah. You’re friends. You’re coworkers, sort of. You’re—?”

“He’s the father of my child, and we were married. And yeah, we’ve always been friends.”

“Exactly.”

Juliet huffed. “Okay. I don’t want this to be weird, Felix.”

“You always say that. You and him. Let’s not be weird. Whatever, whatever. But you have to admit, it’s a little weird.”

She frowned.

“It’s just…” Felix tried to explain. “I wonder, sometimes, why you ever got divorced.”

Juliet seemed surprised. “Because we don’t hate each other? Because we’re nice to one another?”

“You have to admit, it’s not… uh. Normal.”

“Oh. So you’d rather we hate each other?”

“No, it’s not that. You’re just…. friendly.”

“Are you jealous?” Juliet asked. “Is that what this is about?”

“No! That’s not what this is about. At all. Forget I said anything. It’s fine. I’m glad you both get along. It’s great for Nel. She’s the most well adjusted child of divorce I’ve ever met, actually.”

“You’ve met many children of divorce?” Juliet asked, doubtful.

“Well, I’ve met Shawn,” Felix said. “And he seems incredibly well adjusted.” He didn’t bother hiding the sarcasm.

“Don’t make fun of him. He’s different and kind of… I don’t have the word, he’s just very Shawn, but he’s a good man and an amazing father.”

“How am I making fun of him?” Felix scoffed.

“I don’t want to argue about this, Felix. Please.”

“Are we arguing? Feels more like a discussion.”

They both fell silent, until finally they turned the car into their neighborhood.

“I was worried this would happen,” Juliet admitted. “That’s why I kept you away from Nel’s dad for so long.”

So Shawn was back to being called Nel’s dad again. Felix could deal with that.

“I was worried,” Juliet went on, “that you wouldn’t understand. Nel’s dad and I were friends before we started dating. We all became a family. We still are a family. I adore Gus; he’s a great guy. And despite how prickly Carlton seems, we’re very close, and very, very quietly, he adores Shawn as well. Never tell him that because he’ll deny it, by the way. Part of it is the job. My job. The law enforcement family. It’s not something everybody understands. And I know neither Shawn and Gus are technically law enforcement, but—”

“You don’t have to justify yourself. They are important to you. I completely get that, Juliet. I don’t want to disrupt that. But with Shawn—“

“I’m going to be honest with you, Felix. Shawn will always have a place in my heart, but not as a romantic partner. It didn’t work out; we got divorced. I don’t really want to go over all the ways it did not work. It’s personal. It hurts, it really does. We were miserable, both of us. And we hated what it was doing to us. We’ll never regret it, of course, because we have Eleanor. I don’t expect you to understand, and I’m sorry that it’s complicated. It’s just… I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I love you, Felix. You’re the one I want to build a life with. I am so ready for that, believe me. Shawn was… he was a mistake, and weirdly enough, that mistake is still my friend, but he gave me the best thing: my daughter.” Juliet realized she was rambling now, so she bit her tongue, and ended it succinctly, “If any of this is a problem, I need you to tell me now. Because you’re the person I want to be married to, and I can’t afford to waste my time. I’m sorry if that sounds blunt, but… I want a husband and I want a life partner.”

They’d made it to the driveway.

“It’s not a problem at all, Juliet,” he said as he turned off the vehicle’s engine.

“Good.” She let out a breath and looked out the window at the neatly cut lawn. She didn’t move to unbuckle her seatbelt or open the door.

“I just hope I’m… adequate,” he admitted.

Nel was still listening to the story in the back seat and didn’t seem to notice they’d stopped.

Felix and Juliet sat together quietly and listened to the ticking of the engine. She put a hand on his thigh. “More than. Welcome to the extended family.”

“I’ll admit Henry Spencer scares the shit out of me.”

“He’s not bad. You’ll see.” The engine still ticked, ticked, ticked. In the silence, they could even hear the sounds from Nel’s headphones. “Do you think Gus’ hot water heater is really broken?” Juliet suddenly asked.

Felix looked her way. “Uh—“

“Or is he living there now?” Juliet’s mind was taking the idea and running with it, almost oblivious to the fact that Felix still sat beside her. “Why would he lie? I don’t know. And the way Shawn was looking at him. It was strange. Stranger than normal. They’ve always been close. They’re always together. They’ve always been like that. Like… that.”

Her and Shawn’s conversation on the roof came back to her. Something was troubling Shawn. Something big. Something like him and Gus shacking up after the eons. Or maybe they’d done so before. Maybe—

“Does that worry you?” Felix asked.

Juliet looked at him sharply. “No. Not at all. Why would it?”

He shrugged. “Just asking. You seem bothered.”

“I’m not bothered,” she denied, defensive.

“Right. Not bothered.”

“I’m reading too much into it,” Juliet said. She freed herself from the seatbelt and opened the door. “I mean, these are the same guys I once found sharing an ice cream cone, and when I mentioned that it was a little gross, Shawn said—“ Juliet imitated Shawn’s voice, “—I dunno, I dropped mine and we didn’t want to go back for another.”

Felix made a face.

“Forget it. Let’s enjoy our weekend. Okay? Just the three of us. For now.” Juliet gave him a smile and then went to help Nel with her things in the backseat.

**

That night, Shawn and Gus sat on the loft sofa and shared a bowl of popcorn while watching some show that Shawn wasn’t into but Gus was (obsessively so), and even if Shawn tried to pay attention, it wouldn’t do any good. His mind was wandering, but the warmth of Gus sitting close beside him and the comfort of shoving a handful of buttery popcorn into his mouth every so often was enough to keep him somewhat grounded.

Unfortunately, for the most part, his keen powers of observation were lacking this evening.

Gus paused the DVR to stare at the side of Shawn’s head. “What’s the problem now, Shawn?”

“Nothing,” Shawn said. God, how could every one of his friends read him like a damn book?

“I can hear you thinking from here,” Gus argued.

“We’re sitting pretty close. That’s not much of a feat.” Shawn kept his gaze pointed at the wall beyond the TV.

The weather was perfect tonight and Shawn had opened the door leading out to the rooftop deck to let some fresh air in. The cool breeze occasionally touched his face. It felt good, everything felt good, actually, sitting here in his nice, respectable apartment with Gus — his best friend in the world. His best friend and… something. Except, there was somebody missing.

“I miss her,” Shawn said suddenly.

“You miss Juliet?” Gus looked sceptical and very, very careful.

“No,” Shawn scoffed at him with a crooked smile. “C’mon, Gus. Dude. It’s not like that.”

Gus made a face. “Please explain.”

“I miss my kid. The days she’s not here… It sucks. Doesn’t it suck? It’s so quiet.” Shawn looked away. With the TV paused, it was quiet. Just the rustling of the wind through the palms outside and the distant hum of traffic, and if they really strained their ears, the dull roar of the distant surf. A door slammed downstairs, outside of the apartment. There was a low murmuring and soft whuffs from the dogs out on their nightly tinkle.

Gus nodded. “I see what you mean. I miss her, too. We would have an excuse to watch cartoons.”

“Right?” Shawn laughed. Then he nudged Gus’s side with his arm. “Do you think we freaked Felix out?”

When Gus looked over, he found Shawn finally looking right at him, calm and steady. Shawn’s face was so familiar, his mouth, his nose, his eyes. That kind of familiarity brought comfort. “Whaddaya mean?” Gus asked, honestly confused.

“Your broken water heater. That got fixed a week ago. Juliet knows, I’m pretty sure.” Shawn looked away, turning his attention to the TV.

Gus stiffened. “Juliet knows what?”

Shawn grabbed the remote from beside Gus’ hand. “Let’s continue. Don’t you want to know how this ends up? I mean, this guy’s trying to escape from a submerged car—“

Gus grabbed Shawn by the wrist. His skin was warm under his palm. “Juliet knows what?” he repeated, insistent.

Shawn blinked. “Well, she’s not sure your hot water heater is actually broken. She’s thinking you’re staying here most nights. I think she knows something is up.”

“She’d be wrong,” Gus said, assuredly.

“About what?” Shawn seemed amused.

“My hot water heater was broken. For three days. I hate cold showers.”

“Okay. But what else would she be wrong about?” Shawn pressed. “You’re staying here tonight, right?”

“I am,” said Gus. Then he huffed. “This is private, Shawn. I don’t—“ He stopped himself and regrouped, considering Shawn’s feelings. “Juliet is my friend, but this is private,” he repeated.

“You mean between you and me.”

“Yes.”

Shawn shrugged. “Okay. I didn’t plan to say anything until, you know, we’re talking about it, or… I know it’s still… not defined. But c’mon, we’re best friends.”

“We’re best friends who slept together, Shawn. More than once.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Lots,” Gus said, and then he took a massive handful of popcorn. His coping mechanism had always been eating whatever was nearby.

“I don’t know. I feel bad, hiding it,” Shawn admitted.

“Shawn. We’ve never hidden anything.”

“I guess. Shouldn’t it be obvious at this point?”

Gus shrugged. “Again. What are we hiding?”

Shawn suddenly leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on Gus’ temple. And then he settled down, his forehead pressing against Gus’ shoulder. “Buddy.”

“What?” Gus felt himself flare hot but then it ebbed to a warm glow. It felt good to have Shawn so close beside him. It wasn’t weird, being close to Shawn. They’d been close for decades -- at least two, anyway.

“Nothing.”

Gus rolled his eyes and grabbed the remote.


End file.
